


Saturnine

by dreadwyrmspawn



Series: FFXIV Write 2020: Tales of Starlight and Moonbeams [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Au Ra (Final Fantasy XIV), Female Au Ra (Final Fantasy XIV), Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, Gen, Ishgard (Final Fantasy XIV), Male Miqo'te (Final Fantasy XIV), Meet-Cute, Miqo'te (Final Fantasy XIV), Miqo'te Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Tumblr: FFXIVwrite2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:00:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26488330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreadwyrmspawn/pseuds/dreadwyrmspawn
Summary: FFXIVWrite2020 Day 15: Ache
Series: FFXIV Write 2020: Tales of Starlight and Moonbeams [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1906423
Kudos: 1





	Saturnine

The snow was something he’d never get used to, Rua’a decided as he stepped outside the manor. The wind whipped up around him as he tugged the collar of his coat up around his neck, his ears falling flat against his head. A hat was first on his list, then he’d check the shop space Haurchefant talked his father into renting to Rua’a. 

The Jeweled Crozier was packed with people, high and low born alike. There was a large fire in the market center and Rua’a found himself stopping to melt some of the ice out of his veins. Gloves would help too. 

He sighed and sat down, a wave of homesickness washing over him. A letter from Mimigi promised the storefront was taken care of as soon as she heard the accusations, but still the news wouldn’t calm his worry in his heart. As he sat by the fire, the ache of ice began to melt from his hands. 

Once he felt warm he continued into the market, coming to a stop at the store Haurchefant had shown him the day before. The windows were shuttered, a  _ Do Not Enter _ sign nailed to the door. It had honestly looked colder than the rest of the market. Haurchefant told him it had been closed since before the Calamity, when the countess was still alive. 

He worried the key in his hands, nerves starting to settle.  _ I can’t take this from your family, they’ve been kind enough.  _ Haurchefant’s kind smile overwhelmed his thoughts.  _ Don’t be ridiculous, Rua’a. We will owe you more than this by the time everything is over, I am sure of that. _

A sharp shiver ran down his back, but it wasn’t the cold. Ears perked straight up, hearing a muted rustle behind him. In a swift motion he turned around, his hand coming down to grasp a delicate wrist threatening to take the coin purse from his bag.

“What are you doing?” His grip tightened as he yanked the thief closer to him, his frame towering over them.

“Nothin’!” The thief — a teenage girl— yelled as she pulled her arm free with little effort, her fists balling as she turned to run.

Most days Rua’a would let them disappear down the dark alley they came from, but something made him turn and chase her down the stairs leading down to the Foundation. He fisted her cloak in his hand, slamming her into the wall.

“Hells,” he pushed her into the wall, the suppressed rage over the last month boiling over, “I should drag you to The Congregation right now.” 

“Sir, please,” she struggled under his grip, “I don’t.”

Rua’a sighed and let his hands drop from her shoulders. The anger inside him cooled as he took a step back, but he kept her corralled between him and the wall.

“Why?”

“Why not?” She offered as a counter. The lighting was poor in the tunnel, but Rua’a could still see her eyes narrowing in a taunt. “You're all too rich to realize your coin is gone anyway.”

“Are you insinuating that robbing the rich is a fair thing to do?” Rua’a chuckled at the thought. His mother never let him rely on his silver spoon. 

“What’s so funny?”

“If you would have asked, I probably would have given you some coin.”

She grit her teeth, reaching out to push him from her space. Startled, he lost his balance and crashed into the opposite wall. How did that strength come from someone so petite. . .

“I’m not some beggar.”

Rua’a straightened his cloak, shaking his head, “just some common thief.”

“Don’t talk like you know me.”

Rua’a felt his heart soften despite her biting tone. She was defensive, and probably rightfully so. House Fortemps had shown him and the other scions a kindness, but Rua’a knew it was a rare trait among Ishgardians.

“What’s your name?”

“Sorry?”

“Your name,” Rua’a repeated himself as he took a step closer, “My name is Rua’a.”

“Masami,” she said as she lowered her hood. The scales on her horns caught the little light there, shimmering like the night sky.

“An Au Ra,” A smile slipped across his face as he nodded, “nice to meet you, Masami.”

* * *

“You were robbed?” R’hiyo asked before she was all the way through the entrance to the store.

“Accidental robbery,” Rua’a corrected as he moved crates to the back workshop, “it was nothing.”

“Not nothing!” She cried, “and what do you mean accidental?”

“She didn’t mean to, she was just hungry and alone.” 

R’hiyo propped herself on top of the workbench, crossing her arms over her chest, “still.”

He moved in front of his sister, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “It is fine. I am fine.” 

“You’ll have to forgive me considering the last month.”

“I am fine,” Rua’a stressed before moving away again. The whole workspace was dark and dusty. It was going to take a lot of work to get it looking like home. 

“Help me, or go back to the manor.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Masami is a retainer that began to work for Rua'a during 3.0


End file.
